Little Do You Know
by Mundane Matthew
Summary: They all knew why they were here. The end goal was finally at hand. So why weren't they celebrating? Why were they crying instead? A and B. One after the other. But L has always been First.


Wind cut through his jacket, bringing goosebumps over his arms. He hugged himself, trying to keep what little body heat he had.

It was a chilly January morning. Snow had fallen late lastnight, coating the ground in soft flakes. Some of the other children had gone out earlier to play in it, snowmen littering the front yard, some half destroyed by a bully or just haphazard playing.

The too small teen looked up at his caretaker with a frown. Neither of them wanted to be there, although it was for different reasons. They hadn't spoken a word since he had come to fetch him from his first class that morning and Alternative did not stop frowning after.

He supposed he should be happy. At least, that's what his peers and Roger had said. What an honor to be going off to study under the very reason this school existed. It basically guaranteed him as the true successor. After spending almost sixteen years fighting and digging his fingers in, refusing to relenquish his position, he ought to be overcome with joy. He'd done it.

That was what he had earnestly felt and thought for a long time. Now though, all Alternative felt was nausea, aching throbs in his chest from tears held back, homesickness without leaving yet and bitter resentment for breaking a promise to someone he had always thought he would keep.

The sound of tires crushing gravel felt more like nails on a chalkboard to the orphan. The black car pulled up; tinted windows and unmarked liscence plates. It kind of reminded A of FBI cars in movies. He didn't think they really looked like that, but apparently someone had liked the idea.

Of course, it wasn't L who was there to fetch him. Even though he was his successor and now housemate and pupil, he still wasn't important enough for the detective to collect him. A didn't exactly mind. With how he was feeling about this entire situation, he wouldn't want to say or do anything to offend him. Though, he thought, if he did maybe he would be sent back.

The man who stepped out was only vaguely familiar to A. It took a few moments before it came to him. This man had been there when Mr. Wammy himself had first met him. The day they told him about the school and the opportunities he could find himself with. Little six year old Alisx agreed to do it, not knowing the magnitude of the burden he had accepted onto his shoulders.

Now sixteen year old Alternative was stuck with the repercussions.

He spoke with a southern accent, watered down after so long away from home. "Good morning Alternative. I assume you're ready?"

A opened his mouth to speak, to take that courage in his stomach and use it to refuse leaving, but nothing came out and he just nodded.

The older man took A's two small suitcases and packed them into the trunk of the car with ease. It wasn't like A had a lot of belongings. Both suitcases were light as feathers. He then gestured for the boy to come along, opening the back door for him.

A walked towards the car the way a man walks towards the electric chair; full of fear, uncertainty and a sense of mourning. He wasn't leaving life behind per se, but he was leaving some kind of life. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay here with-

"A!"

His head whipped around, brown eyes finding and focusing intently on the figure of a boy running in his direction. He was in their way, if they didn't slow down or if he did not move, they would collide. That was exactly why A rooted himself in place.

Their bodies crashed against each other's roughly. A had to take a few steps back to settle them and avoid falling. His arms held tightly around the boy, hands grasping fistfulls of black cotton. The familiar scent of peppermint overwhelmed him. No, that was a lie. It wasn't the sweet smell of this boy. It was the boy himself.

A buried his face inthe boy's neck and cried against it, unashamed to weep in front of the two adults. He tried in desperation to pull him closer, but there was simply no more space, their bodies were nestled together, refusing any room to be between them.

"B.." he whispered, half choking on the single letter. "I thought you weren't going to come.. we said our goodbyes lastnight.."

"I guess I couldn't stick to my guns this time.. h-heh.. stop crying, A.. i-it'll be fine.. we'll be fine. You're-.. We'll see each other again."

A shook his head, openly sobbing. He felt more like a child now than he'd ever felt before. He'd never felt so alone, so scared, so angry. Not when his parents left him to die, not when he had to let go of his own identity. But here, now, he was all of those feelings and it left an aching in his chest he was sure would never go away.

"You don't know that for sure. You can't guarantee it."

B slid boney fingers underneath A's chin and gently pried him from his crying place. He met his eyes, bringing his other hand up to wipe the tears away with his sleeve.

"I can guarantee it. I'll walk all the way to L's house to see you if it ever comes to that. We'll run off and be fugitives on the run for the rest of our lives. Let L try to solve that one."

A managed a small laugh, but it was followed up by a hiccup and more soft crying. "I don't want to go.. I just want to stay here. Things are fine the way they are.."

"I promise it'll be ok. I promise. Besides.. You owe me one now that i'm in First and have to do the work you did. I'll hold you to that."

Alternative smiled and leaned his forehead against Beyond's. "You can always nap in Geology. The teacher falls asleep in his chair after the first fifteen minutes. That should help, right?"

"Heheh.. Yeah."

"Promise you won't forget me, B."

"I promise I won't forget you, A. Never in a million lifetimes."

"We're stuck together forever, right?"

"Right."

Roger cleared his throat loudly from behind him and A knew he had run out of time to talk. Suddenly it seemed like there were billions of things he still had to say to B. Like he had forgotten to tell him hundreds of important things and now his opportunity was gone.

He was ushered away from the other teen and with an impatient nudge, climbed into the backseat of the car. He clicked his seatbelt into place and leaned to the side to look out the window. It was hard to see but he knew the dark shape with an arm raised was B.

The driver was a woman he'd never seen before, but she was kind. She was quiet as he wept, staring longingly out the window as they drove down the highway.

"You two are close huh?" She finally asked as the scenery turned into rolling woods and fields of grass almost as tall as A himself.

"Yeah.." He answered, trying to keep more tears at bay. "We are."

"It sure seemed like you were tied at the hip."

He nodded, leaning his head back against the head rest. "The only thing in the world that could tear us apart is L..."


End file.
